Dreatur
by Shieb
Summary: Before he helped Pleisorium with her Planeswalker journey, he was a curious young drake placed on Jund while the shards of Alara were crossing over each other. Intelligence from his spark bestows upon him knowledge of terrible enemies and close alliances.
1. Chapter 1

Morning met the young drake with a radiance that outmatched his bleary half-sleep. At the first light of the punishing sun of Jund, all of the close-knit family began to shift into wakefulness. The young drake resisted the insistent nudges from his parents, and even did his best to ignore the rambunctious tackle from his younger sister, but at the thought of what today was, he suddenly turned onto his stomach and leapt to his feet. His father gave a reproving snort towards the son's undignified actions, but turned away to the rest of the family.

To any family of drakes, this was just another day. Well, the young one assumed this. He had never seen another drake family on this place called Jund. In fact, the only others like him were in his own family. Anything that bore a slight resemblance to them were dragons, and dragons were not interested in drakes as anything other than unworthy competition and food.

Anyways, while the rest of the blue beings walked around quietly, using the elbows of their wings and their hind legs, the young drake was waiting eagerly for the moment in which he would be allowed to leave the cave. The mothers went around the young ones, performing morning preening, much to the young males' protest. He wasn't the only one who disliked being picked at by his parents. By an hour after sunrise, all of the young ones were ready and eager to start their day.

The first adults flew from the cave, signaling the official start of the day. They peered out from the edge of their precarious perches, and then dove off, arching gracefully in the air before extending their azure wings and catching the wind. Adults naturally flew high in the air, trusting their impeccable eyesight to help them spot prey, and relying on their blue underbellies to shield them from those who would look upward.

The young drake was right behind the adults, waiting for them all to clear the ledge before he took a look down from the dizzying height they had set their home at. He could spot many volcanoes from here, as well as thick jungles, and he knew that everything was populated with fierce beasts that lived by the rule that if you weren't eating, you were being eaten. Knowing this, he spread his own wings and launched off from the cave mouth, leaving the young and their protectors behind.

It was easier now for him to soar than it had been a bit ago. He had practiced diligently, particularly when he wasn't supposed to, and it caused him to be confident in his flight. Still, he checked the ground periodically, glancing at it to make sure there were no surprise attacks from below.

The young one was more concerned with the sky, however. Being a younger drake, perhaps 9 feet tall, he didn't have the strength to fly as high as the adults did, and so didn't have the protection they did. The tan scales he had as a young one didn't seem to be going away, either- a troubling prospect when camouflage could mean the difference between life and death. Constant vigilance was something his mother had trained into him, although she was limited to only her more primitive ways of communication.

Another glance down and the young drake caught the sight of a few goblins, staked out on the ridge of a canyon. They were dressed up strangely, with clothing that didn't quite fit them and colors that made them flashier than any being should ever be in Jund. They were ripe for eating, and that was exactly what the goblins were out for.

He didn't quite understand the goblin's fascination with being eaten, but they seemed to consider themselves sacred food for the dragons, even mistaking the drakes as the same breed. The young one would admit that he dove by their ceremoniously colored selves now and again for a meal, particularly when he was too bothered to do real hunting, like he was supposed to. However, since he had begun to understand things better, the drake found their behavior to be stranger and stranger. He couldn't imagine ever willingly being eaten.

The drake began to tilt downward, fancying a morning snack. However, a scent caught in his flared nostrils, and the drake propelled himself upwards sharply, out of range of any weapons from the ground. He smelled humans, and the young drake knew that today was the day in which the humans went out to hunt dragons.

This was also an interesting thing he noticed. Occasionally, the humans would go out on ritual hunts, to bring down dragons. They hunted in groups, knowing that slaying such terrible beasts was impossible without numbers. The humans were strong, and could be extremely intelligent, giving them some sort of ground against the fierce strength of the dragons. Still, the fights did not always turn out well for such a sentient species.

Circling once, the drake was curious to see what the group of hunters were doing near the goblins. Perhaps they were using the goblins to find a suitable dragon to slay? That was rather clever of them, seeing as how all dragons and drakes knew that goblins were easy morsels.

There was a low rumbling that caused the young one to backpedal ferociously in the air. The rumble rose to a deep roar that seemed to shake the ground everywhere. The drake knew this sound. It was evidence of an ancient hellkite that lived here on Jund, and it had awoken from its slumber. The drake had little idea where the roar had come from, but he knew he would be dragon fodder if he stayed up in the sky, so with a swoop of his wings, he dove into the jungle below.

Landing was uncomfortable, but he was small enough to fit through most gaps and avoid most unfriendly branches, eventually landing in a thick set of bushes and vines. He crouched underneath them, curling his tail up to his side to make his presence less obvious. It took an effort to calm his breathing and listen, staying even more aware on this unfamiliar territory. He never wandered onto the ground, except when he was in dire need.

The sound of the hellkite above informed the drake that he had not been spotted, and that the hellkite was moving on to other matters, whatever they may be. This resulted in a breath of relief, and then he stiffened to a sudden snapped branch. An ensuing 'Sh' sound made the drake still even further.

"What was that? You hear that?" A gruff voice said, in what the drake recognized to be the tongue of the humans.

"Hear what?"

"Pay attention, lad!" The gruff voice spoke again, this time accompanied with a loud smack and a sound of protest from the younger individual. "If you want to even witness the killing of a dragon, you have to pay attention!"

"I am." The boy hissed.

"Shush it. All of you!" A deep voice said. "You'll attract their attention, and then both bait and prey will be lost."

The group fell quiet. The drake barely heard them walk through the brush, and eventually the human hunting party made their way in front of him. Somewhere around ten men, almost all experienced hunters with worn faces and scarred bodies, made their way quietly through the thick foliage. Somewhat lagging behind the group was a boy younger than the rest. He looked nervous but determined, bearing his weapon with either a terrified grip or a sturdy confidence- the drake wasn't sure. In the young boy's other hand was what looked like a small dragon's claw, made into an amulet that hung around his neck.

They had almost passed by the young blue drake when the leader, with his deep voice, told them all to stop. He peered around the jungle, his gaze resting where the young one was hiding for a moment too long to be comfortable. Then, satisfied that he couldn't spot whatever was nearby, the man told the rest to get moving again. The young drake waited a while after the hunting party had moved on to finally back out of his hiding place.

There were a few guttural sounds from behind the drake, and he turned to view a few surprised goblins, no doubt wondering what he was doing in the bushes. He blinked at them. They blinked at him. Finally, the drake gave a sharp hiss/growl and the goblins jumped, and then ran out of sight. The drake flew back into the sky feeling pretty good about himself.

"Bait and prey." he repeated in the air, feeling the words shape and rolling the 'r' too much. He tried again, trying to better mimic the human that had said it. At the same time, the drake tried to put meanings to the words. If they were in some sort of order of the food chain, then bait would be the goblins, and the prey would be what the hunters hunted.

It was difficult to piece together languages. The young drake was born with no real language, and so when he suddenly became aware of such things, he couldn't help but learn how to use this form of communication. Although he was a breed for the sky, the young one would spend times on the ground, listening to nearby goblin camps or humans and trying to discern the meanings of their words. The initial result was a mixture of goblin and human tongue, which sounded very awkward put together. Eventually, the two languages were separated, and the young drake was able to put together small sentences. Small sentences grew larger, and the drake slowly became better at speaking. It was something he would never reveal to his primitive-minded brethren.

His own intelligence was a mystery to him. The drake's family only seemed interested in survival, and far be it from him to tell them it was unimportant. But still, he wondered why his family was not intrigued in how plants grew, or why animals evolved the way they did, or what evolution even was. Their entire days were centered on the next kill while this young drake spent his waking hours in discovery.

A roar of dismay caught the drake's attention, pulling his mind away from the mysteries of the universe and where his next meal could be. The drake swung around, cautiously approaching where the sound had come from. He was rewarded for his curiosity. From the sky, the drake could see the hunting party from earlier. They had found their dragon, and now they were attempting to bring it down.

The dragon was more than twice the young drake's size, with dark brown scales and a maw specifically bred for crushing. Its heavy jaws were working at snapping around it, but every time the dragon would choose one victim, a berserker would catch its attention behind it. In the end, the dragon chose not to deal with these humans so closely, and spread its wings to successfully launch itself into the sky.

The dragon's flight was not to be. Just as the beast was gaining some ground, thick ropes made from the hardy vines in the jungles were thrown up, heavy rocks tied at their ends, and wrapped around the dragon's limbs. Unable to make strong enough motions with its wings, the dragon screeched and began to lose altitude. It sprayed fire around it as it crashed.

Humans roared in victory while they swarmed the raging animal, tearing at the tender tissue of its wings and sticking in weapons underneath its scales. The whole scene became difficult for the drake to watch, as he made the mistake of imagining what the spears would feel like. Perhaps the hunting of dragons was not as interesting as he had originally thought. Still, he was apparently fascinated by the entire charade, because when he saw small goblins charging the humans, in defense of their holy gods, Draetur found himself folding his wings and diving down, catching a goblin that was just fired from a catapult in his mouth. He swooped down once more, knocking a couple of goblins off the cliff, to make a point.

The young drake's distraction was enough to leave the hunters unbothered long enough to end the struggle for life and death. The dragon roared in rage, its primitive language speaking of how shameful it was to be beaten by a human. Its final attempt to stay alive ended up with its heart pierced by a human's spear. The drake hovered above, watching quietly and occasionally soaring in circles to break the monotony.

Down on the ground, the humans again roared at their victory. They raised bloody spears before some attended to the dead beast, the others turning to their wounded. For such a small hunting party, they fared well against the dragon. Out of the ten or so that had marched along the cliff side, about six remained, including the young boy the drake had noticed while he was hiding. As the group began to skin and harvest the dragon, the leader of the hunting party looked up and noticed, surely not for the first time, the peculiar behavior of the drake above. Said drake decided it would be a good enough time to leave.

Just as the drake was turning to get out of range of the human's weapons, there was a great roar that seemed to shatter the air and shake the ground. The young drake felt his heart stop for a moment in fear, and he turned frantically in the air to catch sight of the source. In the sky was the same hellkite that had frightened the drake not too long before. But this time, the hellkite was already charging, and the drake had barely enough time to get out of its way.

The huge bulk of the red, ancient dragon, as well as its speed, caused a strange wind around it that sent the young drake tumbling through the air, barely able to correct itself. The small human hunting party was suddenly moving quickly, putting their lives before the kill. This dragon was far too immense for so few to fight successfully, and they all fled before the giant's flames.

The young drake was stuck in place, barely able to hover in his captivation. The giant dragon broke its way through foliage, crushed trees, and burned everything in its path before becoming somewhat content. Its mad eyes eventually turned to the young drake, who was still paralyzed.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten about you, fledgling." The deep growl rattled the earth.

The drake was startled. How had this dragon spoken? The young one had never heard another dragon or drake speak any understandable language. But trying to pry apart this mystery would have to wait, because the hellkite's giant wings were propelling it toward him. Quickly, the drake spun around in the air and dove for the ground, folding his wings for the greatest speed. The dragon behind him laughed, a sound that was like a deep rumble. Then the drake heard the sucking in of a huge breath and, making the connection, pulled up sharply, using his momentum to clear the pillar of fire that would have destroyed him.

"Not too bad." The dragon commented after he had readjusted his own course. "You dragons without forearms are fast, aren't you?"

Now the young one felt insulted for some reason. He was not just bait, or some kind of toy to be played with and then killed! The young one's wings suddenly worked to propel him both forward and upward. Though the hellkite was larger, his weight made him slower to climb and change directions, and the drake 'whelp' would use this to his advantage.

Suddenly, the drake folded his own wings, felt himself slow down, and then his body turned to head for the ground and for the dragon's gaping maw, which was lighting with a new flame. A quick movement let the small one clear the flame once again, and he instead was flying down past the dragon's back. But as the dragon decided to backpedal and change direction so that his weight would aid him in overtaking the small one, the drake reached out both his claws and his wing thumbs to hang onto the dragon's back.

It didn't take long for the dragon to notice. He made an annoyed sound and twisted in the air, attempting to dislodge the drake. However, he couldn't stay in the air like this long, and decided to proceed with dropping toward the ground. As the wind grew stronger, to such a strength that it might rip the drake's wings right off him, the dragon turned his head to look back at the blue spot between his shoulders.

"Enjoy the ride, little tick." He growled. "It'll end startlingly fast."

Now the dragon laughed, and the drake tensed himself, ready to take action. The dragon turned as he got closer to the ground, so that the drake would be the first thing to hit the ground, and probably be squished with the dragon's weight. The closer they came, the more the drake tensed, until he finally spread his wings just enough to catch the wind a bit, and then launched off the dragon's back, heading straight for the thick foliage to the side of the dragon.

Collision with the foliage and trees were harsh, likely bruising the drake underneath his scales. But it was better than being crushed beneath the dragon. It took a few moments for him to regain his bearings, and he could still hear the hellkite, laughing over the idea of the squished drake he was about to see. The young one didn't want to be anywhere near the dragon when he found there was no body, and not even splatter marks, to be beheld.

Quickly, the drake made his way through the forest, choosing the most open routes to make his way further from the dragon. He was far out of the dragon's range of fire when the dragon finally understood that his prey had somehow escaped him. The area around the dragon was immediately set on fire, and then he flew around, casting his flame in areas, hoping to smoke the young drake out. Fortunately for the drake, these efforts didn't work. In fact, the young drake found a cave to rest in at the forest floor. Though he hated it here, he couldn't risk flying at the moment. He wanted to wait until the hellkite had made his way back to the volcano.

The young drake wasn't quite sure when he fell asleep. The fact still remained that he was surprised when he woke up. Under normal circumstances, waking up without memory of falling asleep would have merely been an interesting fact. But since the first thing he saw was the face of a young human boy, things were a bit different.

**Cards Drawn: Berserkers of Blood Ridge, Dragon's Claw, Plummet, Goblin Artillery, Ancient Hellkite, Firebreathing**

**Shieb: So here's the first chapter of my promised three-chapter Magic project. This will explain the past of Draetur from my first Magic: The Gathering fiction, called Of Protection and Instinct. If you don't know who Drae is, I suggest you take a look at the fanfiction.**

**Feel free to enjoy or not enjoy my work, just drop me some criticism.**


	2. Chapter 2

"D-don't move!" the boy shouted.

The drake blinked at him, curious as to why the boy's hands were shaking. Was he scared? It was an odd thought to the drake; to be scary.

"Oh, what am I saying?" the boy mumbled. "This beast can't-"

"Why?" the drake asked, letting the word form slowly so that he would pronounce it correctly.

The boy's breathing stopped sharply; even his hands stopped shaking. He stared at the drake. The two looked at each other, measuring the other, though with clearly different emotional patterns.

"What?" The boy almost sounded apologetic.

"Why should I not move?" The drake elaborated, speaking a bit faster this time.

"It can speak? You can speak." The boy said faintly.

"Sort of." Again, he was a bit slow, making sure to put pronunciation first.

"How can you speak?"

"Practice." He replied reasonably.

"But dragons don't speak!"

"Then I'm obviously not a dragon."

Wow, the drake could really sound intelligent like this! Without the guttural noises of a mindless beast, there was actually some sensibility to communication. Oh, the conversations he could imagine now!

"You look like a dragon!" The young boy protested, raising his spear, whose point had dropped before.

"But I'm missing something, aren't I?" the drake said, getting up to stand as best he could. The young boy shouted in surprise and backed up, tripping over himself, but the drake made no move toward him.

"Y-your front arms." The boy realized finally, standing up again.

"Precisely. I am a drake, not a dragon."

"What's a drake?"

"Need you ask?"

Just then, a roar from above rumbled the earth. Both boy and drake flattened on the floor, peering anxiously from their hiding places. A large shadow passed over them, and the drake just barely recognized the hellkite from before. He shivered, suddenly remembering how close to death he had been.

After the shadow passed and the heavy thud of wingbeats faded, the drake turned to the young human boy.

"What is your name?"

"What? Oh, Jek. What about you? Do drakes have names?"

The drake looked around. He had never had any need for a name before. What would he call himself? His eyes glanced over the brush, his ears twitching at telltale signs of rat-like goblins not too far away, his nose picking up faint scents. Then he looked skyward, and remembered a word from a language he couldn't quite place.

"I am Draetur."

"Draetur?" The young boy scoffed. "Everything about you is strange."

"It is not a good name?" Draetur worried.

"How would I know?"

The slightly unnerved human boy cautiously made his way out into the opening, looking around. Draetur followed him after unconsciously using him as bait, waiting for the young one to get snatched up as food by some creature the drake couldn't sense. The two checked their surrounding for a bit before daring to speak again.

"Why are you alone?" the drake asked. "I am aware you are supposed to become a warrior, but alone is always suicide."

"I got separated from everyone when that giant dragon attacked."

Draetur looked at his human friend, remembering the giant blaze that the dragon had cast. It was less likely the boy was separated, and more likely he was the only survivor. The thought gave way to an emotion that the drake couldn't recognize yet, but that the rest of us would recognize as pity.

"Perhaps I should help you find your brothers." The drake suggested.

"What? No! I can… handle myself." The boy said defiantly, yet uncertainly.

"Somehow I doubt you're a great warrior." Draetur said wryly, eyeing his human companion. "That claw was taken from someone else, was it not?"

The sudden glare startled Draetur, actually managing to make him flinch back. The boy's hand enclosed his treasure, and he put it quietly under his shirt, a strange look in his eyes. The drake couldn't figure what he had done wrong. Were all humans this vulnerable?

"I can manage on my own." The boy mumbled eventually.

"Jek. I will accompany you until there is another set of humans who can care for you."

"You?" Jek scoffed. "You're barely bigger than our beasts of burden. Can you even fly?"

"Would you like to find out?" Draetur asked, his wings snapping open.

The boy flinched back from the drake, eyes wary. Then, after the sudden movement, he realized what Draetur had exactly said. The drake could see Jek almost daring to hope.

"Are you… saying I could fly?"

"Perhaps." Draetur said, folding his wings almost moodily. "But perhaps not, if I am truly as tiny as you say."

"W-well, what I meant was that-"

He cut off as the two heard shouting in the forest. Both of them listened well, trying to discern what creature it was. It obviously wasn't goblin, the drake knew right away. Nor was it the strange tongue of the lizard people who roamed here. Jek's face lit up as he recognized his own village mates.

While Jek was celebrating as quietly as he could, the drake heard a strange noise behind him, and then a sudden pressure near the end of his tail. He turned to see a goblin, which he assumed had just come out of the hole behind it. The little creature had attacked him with its pickaxe, and its devious expression changed suddenly as it realized it had just attacked one of its gods.

"Perfect. I was getting hungry." Draetur commented casually before reaching over and snapping the little creature's neck.

"Draetur, thank you for your offer, but- ugh."

Jek had been about to say goodbye as kindly as he could, but he caught sight of Draetur's little snack. Now the drake was munching on the creature, and it seemed to make Jek lose his enthusiasm entirely.

"I see." Draetur said after swallowing a mouthful. "So you won't be wanting to fly, then?"

The idea struck Jek, and he looked with disappointment to the rescue party that was still searching for him.

"Well, perhaps we could… fly over there?" he offered.

"Knowing your people, they would think you are either a dragonspeaker, or I am a pet. Something tells me they wouldn't seriously consider the former."

Jek would have been offended if he hadn't noticed the peculiar sight Draetur was. As Jek watched the drake eat the goblin while crouched, his wings folded lazily, his tail curved around the snack with the end flicking occasionally, and his blue eyes showing no intention to attack Jek, a hunter, the boy suddenly thought Draetur looked like nothing more than an overgrown cat on a hearth rug.

"They certainly would think you are a pet." The boy commented absently.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The drake growled through his food.

"Jek!" Came a female voice from the distance. Jek turned suddenly, running his hand through his hair. Briefly, he became preoccupied with his appearance, cleaning off his filthy self as best he could. He ruffled his own hair, and then turned to the drake.

"Perhaps it is best that we part ways here. My brethren would probably try to kill you. Solemnly, I must leave you." the boy said in a strangely deeper and more serious tone. Trying to look as manly as possible, he strode into the woods.

Draetur tilted his head to the side, staring at the retreating human figure. As soon as the boy had heard a female's voice, he pretended to be brave and strong. The drake puzzled over it, but could find no connection. In fact, he wondered if all humans were that strange.

Darkness soon fell upon Jund. All creatures knew night was a dangerous time, best spent hiding. The drakes lost their ability to blend during the night, so they all returned home. Draetur followed suit, though he was one of the last to land on the ledge. His mother immediately set to preen him, which felt more like he was being pummeled. Despite the young drake's attempts to escape, he had to eventually accept that he was stuck with it.

The family was the same as normal. Some fought over scraps that others had found for them, others had quarrels over other things. For the life of him, Draetur couldn't remember what was so important for them to quarrel about. A wrong step could set off his family.

Even his father seemed badly tempered, although the young drake could at least rationalize that. The large drake had gotten a smaller than usual count for food, with smaller prey brought in. Also, Draetur smelled like human, and he had brought none home. In fact, the smell seemed to alienate some of the other drakes, and fewer little ones slept on him that night. It would have been a nice change if the one that seemed to like sleeping on his wing had also left.

Things returned to normal, much to Draetur's disappointment. He kept flying about, watching both sky and ground apprehensively. But he spotted no humans and certainly didn't find Jek again.

It was a shame in Draetur's eyes. He had enjoyed talking with someone else who could talk back. The conversation, though filled with ordinary subjects, was fascinating to the drake, and the humans themselves had suddenly found a new draw on him. Draetur was disappointed, therefore, that he could make no contact with them. He even fancied jumping into the middle of their camp and saying 'hi', but the scenario in his head did not end well for him.

Perhaps it was Draetur's constant thoughts, centered upon the Jek and the rest of the humans, which brought them near each other one day. Truly, for any other young creature of an 'inferior' race, running in with the humans would not have happened. But as it just so happened, the young drake was very curious, and so the roars of a creature made him change his course in the skies.

In most cases, the drake would have lost interest after sighting the Scarland Thrinax. It was a hulking creature with a rounded back that was dominated by large plates, giving it an appearance almost like a hedgehog- though Draetur hadn't seen one of those this early in his life. Yellow-orange eyes glowed maliciously while a roar revealed teeth, sharp and long as daggers. The creature was standing over a bed of eggs on short, sturdy legs. Apparently, it had eaten most of the eggs, but had been interrupted by a set of humans.

In truth, the drake was thrilled to see the humans again, although one seemed to think it best to keep an eye on the young, blue, foreleg-less dragon, and traced Draetur's flight path with a crossbow. Despite discouragement, however, Draetur hovered as close as he could. He watched as the humans preoccupied the beast with their spears, much like they had done before with the dragon. However, this time the tactics were changed up a little, and the drake witnessed a human climb up on the violent creature's back and shove his sword underneath the plates on its back.

With a hideous screech, the Thrinax began bucking, and then ignored those with spears so that it could roll. The man jumped off the beast before he got simultaneously squished and speared. Now, though, the Thrinax stood again to look directly at the smallest of the group- someone Draetur recognized as Jek.

Jek had a look of determination upon his face, his claw medallion twitching every time he did. The rest of his hunting mates realized his sudden bad position, and began to swarm the Thrinax. But Draetur saw a problem that they could not avoid in time. All of Jek's fellow hunters were behind the beast, in the least vulnerable spot imaginable. They wouldn't be able to even distract it before Jek was hurt or even mortally wounded. With the sentry that once found Draetur interesting gone, the young drake let out a bellow, and then dove.

Most creatures but the Thrinax hesitated, and the humans hesitated, besieged by the choice as to which threat was the worse one- the frighteningly tough Thrinax before them, or the swift dragon that was about to gobble up the same prey. In retrospect, Draetur was thankful for this hesitation. It gave him just enough time to swoop low, grab Jek by the scruff of his clothing, and then tilt sharply up and away from the Thrinax. A sharp movement of the drake's head, and Jek was flying through the air, shouting for all his worth, until he came to land on the base of Draetur's neck.

"Ow! Careful how you land." Draetur shouted back.

"Oh my- D-, uh… Draetur, is that you?"

"What other talking drake do you know? Now, let's take care of that problem down there."

Beneath them, the Thrinax was upset that it had lost its prey. It rammed a few trees before turning to find more fleshy bipedals. The thing roared bad-temperedly, sauntering forward with heavy footsteps and mad eyes. The humans did as they usually did, and focused on the initial threat, the one they could control at the moment. With their brother believed to be lost, they focused on saving themselves.

The drake looked and examined the situation. What could they do? A flash of red hide caught his eye for just a brief moment, and suddenly it became much more important to finish the conflict here. Without warning, the drake folded his wings again, and he dove, extending his feet so that when he pulled up, he also ripped out the sword that was still shoved in the Scarland Thrinax's back. The Thrinax screamed its rage and pain, but Draetur focused on a quick maneuver, which handed the weapon off to Jek- Jek, who barely caught it.

Things seemed pretty obvious from there, though Draetur was smart enough to tell Jek to go for the eyes once he dismounted. Then the two dove again, but this time Draetur smashed down upon the Thrinax's back and his claws gripped the plates tightly. Jek hopped off, doing exactly as he was told, though he was thrown off the beast right after he achieved stabbing one eye. Now the Thrinax's line of defense against Draetur was the same against the humans. There was something on its back, so it tried to roll to get it off. Draetur, suspecting this line of action, let go after little resistance, and then landed firmly on the Thrinax again when it was on its back. Only a snarl was forewarning of the vicious act afterward that took the Thrinax's life. All in a day at Jund.

"I'd ask if I could take this one home, but I think we have more pressing matters." Draetur said casually, trying his best to sound intelligent, though he was certainly on the wrong plane for that. Nobody cared here.

"Back, you devil!" the head of the hunters shouted, bearing his spear against the drake.

"How rude." was all Draetur seemed to be able to think of in response.

"No, no, no! Ther, don't! He just saved all our lives." Jek said, managing to put himself in between the spear and his drake friend. From behind, the drake found amusement in Jek's ruffled hair, a tribute to their fast flight.

"I'd also like to do it again, if you'd let me."

"Is no one else here preoccupied with the fact that this dragon talks?" exclaimed another hunter worriedly.

"Who cares? Just kill it!" shouted yet another.

As was common in Jund, there was a rather loud roar, which gave pause to all but Draetur, who was unsurprised. He judged, though, that the roar did not belong to the hellkite he had formerly run into. This allowed him to relax. Marginally.

"Not another devil." The lead hunter mumbled.

"That was what I was hoping to warn you against." Draetur said somewhat smugly, happy to know something the humans hadn't. "Something's stirred up the dragons."

At that moment, something red and with wings swooped low over the forest, making those beneath its canopy flinch. Draetur growled despite himself, recognizing the foul stench of the dragon. It wasn't the hellkite that had tried to destroy him before. No, this particularly smaller dragon was known as Tarox Bladewing, and he hated all of his other brethren, who were named the same. They were an evil spawn in Draetur's mind, and they fought all other living creatures just as hard as they fought each other. But what could have called them up? Bladewings were usually too busy fighting and feasting on each other to make appearances up here.

There were a few moments of silence as the hunters all listened. The sounds carried on the wind told them all that there were many Bladewings out there, and that they were fighting each other, but not as much as usual. Something had stayed their hate. The group looked at each other now, reading their ally's features.

"We can't see anything from down here." One man said finally. "We'll need a higher vantage point. Let's move."

The rest of the group began to gather the most important parts of the Thrinax, all eyes upon the sky, just in case. Jek, however, turned to Draetur after making a glance at a female whose scent Draetur recognized from the first time he had met the boy. Perhaps Jek was going to try and impress the female. However, the drake decided against this when he saw the expression on Jek's face. It was one of worry.

"I've never seen the dragons this stirred up. Ther needs a vantage point. Can you help?"

"I can't carry him. As it stands, you're the lightest one here."

Jek eyed Draetur, suspecting a joke, but he didn't find the drake cracking a dragonish smile, so he decided to move on.

"They're already suspicious enough of me as it is."

"However, if two endeavor to venture into dangerous territory for recon, surely at least one will survive."

"Alright, what did you even just say?" Jek exclaimed, looking worried that a drake knew more words than the humans that made them.

"What he's saying is that the chances of one surviving a scout mission increases if two go." Ther said, approaching from behind Jek, who jumped a bit and moved so he wasn't between the muscled Ther and Draetur. "And I agree."

Draetur snorted his surprise, but found this seemed to make Ther unhappy. Perhaps the hunter thought drakes could breathe fire like dragons. Regardless, the drake decided to not do such things that would liken him to dragons from now on, in the best interest of his life.

"I don't like you, dragon." Ther said firmly.

"Drake."

"Whatever. You look too much like those scaly beasts that have killed so many of my loved ones."

Now was about the time that Draetur took notice of all the scars on Ther. He wasn't just the muscled stereotype of a hunter that the young drake had always imagined or seen from a distance. There was a history here that he had never noticed. The man's skin was darker, tough, and leathery, a testament to being weathered by the elements and beasts alike. Every scar had a story; the drake would bet on it. Now that he thought about it, Ther probably did hate Draetur. How many could he have lost to the dragons?

"However, you seem a mite more intelligent than those dumb brutes, and you're willing to help. It'll take us half an hour to reach a proper vantage point on foot, but it'll take you perhaps five minutes to fly high and then report back in to us. Will you do it?"

"Sure." Draetur said without hesitation.

"Jek, get to it." Ther said immediately, startling Jek.

Draetur decided that Jek really wasn't made for this whole 'hunter' thing. He was too jumpy. However, the boy did as he was told fairly quickly, and Draetur barely had to help him onto his back. This time, however, the drake instructed the boy to sit on the dip at the base of his neck instead of the middle of his back. It would be more comfortable for both of them, although it made Draetur nervous to know that the boy was that close to a vulnerable spot on the drake's physiology.

Draetur did not wave goodbye like Jek tried to, his focus centered on the girl, a grin on his face. The drake lurched upward quickly, cutting off the quiet boasting of the boy. They climbed their way into the air, staying cautiously low to the trees at first, eyes looking in every direction. The dragons seemed scarce in this area, but Draetur's sharp gaze caught sight of many red bodies around the skies, and he shuddered when he noticed a couple hellkites had been summoned as well.

When the coast seemed clear, the drake worked his way up high, so that he might take advantage of his light underbelly and blend in with the sky, as the rest of his family was fond of doing. Up high, he circled, and both the drake and the boy viewed the world below. Dragons were flying everywhere, scouring for something. Now and again, they would burn areas of forests, as if to scare up something. Hellkites didn't participate in these strange activities, instead seeming to just overlook the others, reserving their energy for something else.

Jek was easily stunned by this entire ordeal. It was going to be nigh impossible for his hunting group to make it back home without being burned in a random fire from a dragon and tell everyone the danger. Draetur barely held onto calmness. But then he saw something that made his heart plummet.

Living in a family of drakes, beasts that weren't commonly known for being eloquent, had given Draetur some trials after he had become intelligent. They could be as cruel as dragons, despite their smaller stature, and only large showings of emotions were sufficient enough to explain what was and was not allowed for the family. Still, they were his family. And a group of dragons were heading straight for his mountain.

The drake turned without warning and folded his wings briefly, allowing himself to speed toward the ground before he extended his wings and maneuvered as cleverly as he could to the ground, Jek hanging on for dear life. Landing was a bit startling, but they both held out. Dismounting, Jek smacked Draetur's neck.

"What the hell was that for? No dragon for miles around had seen us!" he exclaimed.

"Be quiet. We each have our own families to take care of."

At this moment, the rest of the hunters came into view, walking through the brush as quietly as they could.

"How's it look up there?" Ther asked.

"Pretty bad." Jek turned from Draetur reluctantly. "There are dragons and hellkites everywhere. The dragons seem to be looking for something and hellkites are supervising. I don't know what's going on. It's going to be hell getting home in time to warn everyone."

"Isn't that the truth. They seem to be burning parts of the forest, too." Another hunter mumbled quietly.

"You should be less concerned." Draetur said as calmly as he could. "The dragons are not aiming for your village, it seems. They're all migrating to the swamp just southwest of here, as well as the mountain that rises from its bogs. They should move away from your people soon enough. However, I have to leave. It was nice seeing you again, Jek."

"Wait!" Jek shouted, catching Draetur with his wings half raised. "Are you saying your family is in that mountain?"

"Who cares?" A hunter said. "It's not our family. Let him take care of his own, and we'll take care of ours."

Jek suddenly rounded on his larger village mate. He surprised everyone with a fierce stare and a strongly disapproving frown. Suddenly, his stick-figure presence seemed a lot bigger.

"'Who cares?' He helped us! Despite the fact that he had nothing to do with the Thrinax, with the fact that I was about to die, he came in and saved not only me, but probably some of you, too. And you know what? I'll bet he won't forget me the moment I'm dead, like you, my _brothers_."

Some seemed struck by Jek's words, like Draetur. Did Jek really think of him that highly after two meetings? Or was he merely a better option compared to the way of life on Jund, which was easily symbolized by his brethren? The drake acknowledged that death and the threat of death was constant, but was he the type to care about it? Or would he just keep moving? The thought had never entered his mind before.

"You would rather side with a dragon?" the woman said finally.

"He seems to give a damn about my existence. I honestly can't say the same for anyone here."

Draetur was struck by the pain on Jek's face. Receiving no assurances from his family,- which struck the drake even more- Jek turned to Draetur and, using both the drake's knee and his wing's arm to get up, again sat on the dip at the base of the drake's neck. The drake examined his companion a moment.

"Well?" Jek said bad-naturedly, wanting to just leave. However, the drake turned to the humans.

"Drakes are different from dragons." He said calmly. "We're not all brutes."

Then, with a strong downward stroke, they launched into the air and again began skimming the tops of the trees. Checking the areas around them, they found that most of the dragons had disappeared from sight, as well as the hellkites. Draetur made no hesitation in turning toward his mountain home, and Jek stayed where he was, sullenly quiet.

"What is wrong, Jek?" Draetur asked finally. "I thought it was bad for your health to throw in your lot with dragons."

"You're not a dragon." Jek insisted bad-temperedly. "And anyways, I've never really been a part of my village. I've always been the outsider. I'm not muscley or tough, and I don't even look intimidating."

An outsider, huh? Draetur thought about it. Jek certainly never seemed to fit in. He wanted to impress a mate and become a recognized hunter, but Draetur had only ever seen him in awkward and life-threatening situations where he was about to get destroyed. And Draetur… Draetur could identify with that.

It's not to say that Draetur was always the strange one in his family. He had fit right in with little fits of rage until he suddenly started wondering at this. It had happened so suddenly, wondering what humans were doing when they were making noise, that he had startled himself. And then, his family had noticed the change. However they did it, he had become the strange one; the outcast.

Even compared to most creatures on Jund, Draetur was strange. He was small because of his age, and the tan scales on his stomach hadn't faded out yet. Draetur wasn't big or intimidating, and he didn't breathe fire like the frightening dragons. He didn't even have a large appetite or anger issues, which knocked out unpredictability. Now that he thought on it, it was a miracle that Draetur was even still alive. The same went for Jek. Was there some reason?

"I understand." Draetur said finally. "We're not exactly the cream of the crop, are we? We're both small and strange. But I think we can use that to our advantage. I may be small, but I'm smarter than most of these brutes, and I'm fast. Perhaps you can find something you're better at as well."

Jek grew silent, and the drake could only assume the boy was thinking. They would be at his home soon, so he didn't bother disturbing him. There wouldn't be much time to think later, since the mountain peak was already in view.

However, something caught the young drake's attention, and it started to make him growl. There was a human on a small rise in the land, shouting and waving his arms about, babbling some prophetic nonsense. Despite the stench of the swamp below, the drake recognized the scent of dragons about him. The drake knew this was a human who called himself a 'godtracker', referring to the dragons as his gods. Anger swept the drake downward, and he grabbed onto the human with his claws and dropped him into the bogs of the swamp. Then he landed down by the human, wings raised for intimidation and lips pulled back to reveal ivory daggers.

"Where have you tracked your gods to, human?" he growled.

Jek seemed confused- the drake felt him shift nervously on his back- but he kept silent and watched.

"To an infestation." The human smiled, and a short roar erupted from the drake's long neck.

"An infestation?" He exclaimed. "What infestation have they found?"

"A swarm of insect wretches that don't belong here." The human said, eyeing the form of the drake, noticing his blue scales and missing forelegs. "They came from another world and mimic the form of dragons, but aren't truly my gods. They lack forelegs and have blue scales, as well as an unfamiliar scent to this world."

"And what do they intend?" The drake's voice was just a low, threatening growl now.

"To rid this world of the infestation, at the command of the great hellkite Belnair." He laughed, obviously insane.

This finally pushed the drake off the edge, and he arched his neck up before striking with the amplified strength and precision of a snake. He spat out the taste of the swamp waters before lifting off into the air again and leaving the corpse there, for scavengers to find. Now, more than ever, he hurried toward his home, where he could see fire and swarms of blue figures dashing around larger red ones. And when he was close enough to see the familiar red figure, his heavy wing beats thrumming through the air, he drew in a deep breath while the figure on his back unsheathed a weapon from his belt.

"Belnair!" The fury exploded from his voice, and the giant red head turned, smiling, a glint of bloodlust and victory in his eyes.

**Cards Drawn: Goblin Tunneler, Scarland Thrinax, Tarox Bladewing, Swamp (Dan Frazier), Godtracker of Jund**

**Shieb: This turned out quite a lot longer than I had intended, but I guess that's because I found Draetur's life story is a bit more detailed than I had originally expected. Regardless, I hope I wrote it so things don't drag on, and so you'll become apprehensive about the next battle coming on. What will happen? In some ways, even I don't know.**


	3. Chapter 3

The small drake was recognized, but seemed worth no more attention than a bit of recognition. While Belnair seemed to find it amusing that Draetur had come to join his brethren, the small drake was obviously nothing but another feather among the cloud of blue down that was coming at him.

It struck Draetur just how big Belnair was again. Though the drake was terrified at the hellkite's size the first time the two met, he was now being compared to all of the young one's family, and they were indeed just small birds raging against a cliffside. They all dove and scratched and roared, digging their teeth into the hellkite's wing tissue when they could, but even Draetur's father, who had always been gigantic compared to Draetur, was now just an insect.

Life on Jund rarely gave one time to think things over. Their flight here was a brief reprieve from the world of survival, and now the world had thrust them straight back into its unrelenting tide. Belnair was where the cloud of blue was focused, but other dragons swarmed around the mountain home. One such dragon quickly caught sight of Draetur and Jek, who were entering the outskirts of the battle, and dove for them. The drake was faster, however, and tilted away from the dragon's flight pattern.

"What're we going to do?" Jek shouted into the wind.

"What?" Draetur tilted his head back.

"What are we going to do against that?"

"Whatever we can." Draetur answered, spotting an unsuspecting dragon below him. He dropped with Jek convulsively grabbing at his neck, and landed harshly on the dragon's head, aiming for the eyes. With a furious scream, the drake took off again, flying up and behind the dragon before its fiery breath could find him, because its eyes would no longer find anything.

"Aim for the eyes with your weapon. If you get caught in a maw, stab the top of its mouth before it burns you, and most species have a weakness in the area you're sitting, where the neck joins the shoulders and chest." Draetur shouted, not believing that he was giving tips not only on dragons, but potentially on killing drakes. Of course, Jek already knew those key facts, but the information seemed to snap him out of worrying over the impossible situation.

With a silent understanding between the drake and his human, the two charged into battle. Most dragons were large enough that Jek could jump onto their backs without them noticing, and then deal some damage before jumping back onto Draetur's back. His short blade was useful, despite its small range and Jek's undeniable nervousness.

Draetur couldn't remember a time in which he flew more furiously. His kind were meant for the skies and the seas, and since there were no seas in Jund, the skies were their only true home here. Still, Draetur had never focused his efforts on the mastery of flying, instead using it as a means of transportation to more interesting things. Now, he was working every muscle in his arms and in his back to fly fast and with precision, keeping in mind the extra clearance he needed for Jek. He was flying faster than ever, in tighter circles than he had ever attempted, and dive-bombed with a ferocious precision.

The two together were a surprisingly potent team. They crippled as many dragons as they could lay claw and dagger on, cutting down the length of wings and stabbing out many an eye. Draetur's agility in the air, coupled with his extra effort, made it near impossible to lay a claw or flame upon them, and Jek used what he remembered from his former masters to direct Draetur towards more potent methods of killing and wounding the dragons.

Finally, they carved their way into the center mass of battle, where drakes streaked everywhere. Draetur worried that they would fight him and Jek, for no one had ever heard of a drake pairing with a human, but no one seemed to notice. He would get hell about this from his mother later.

All the dragons and drakes were tearing at each other here, and more blue bodies were dropping than red ones. Draetur raged in with his own battle cry, and Jek stood up on the drake's back, screaming an announcement to his presence. The large dragon that stood between them and Belnair turned and opened its maw just as Jek jumped off Draetur's back. The human landed on the beast's head, and got an eye before the giant, scaled thing began tossing its head. Jek shouted in surprise and looked about, but could not find Draetur. There were so many blue bodies around, he couldn't tell one from the other. Even the young ones were fighting!

Finally, although Jek hung on for dear life, he felt himself finally fall from the beast's head. Wondering, not for the first time, whether this was his end, Jek looked around him. Things were chaos. Dragons, though wounded or blind, were still up and about, doing their best to destroy everything around them. A few had slammed into the mountain and destabilized it, causing its form to shake. Drakes were getting killed and wounded faster than the dragons, and the stench of death and battle was almost choking the air. Not a moment after Jek realized a great potential in battle and war, Draetur swooped under the boy, catching him. Gasping, Jek made his way to his seat on the drake's neck.

"Perhaps you'd fight better from far away." The drake said, flying away from the battle and beginning to curve toward the ground.

"What? No, I'm fighting with you!"

"Whoever said you weren't fighting with me?"

Confusion lit upon the simple boy's face. Then he saw what the drake was flying toward, and shock replaced confusion as he recognized a fellow hunter, Ther, holding up a package. The drake landed beside him, quite comfortable that they wouldn't be noticed down here. All the death and destruction was up above.

"I figured a warrior should go into battle with proper gear." The man said gruffly.

Jek leapt off Draetur's back with the giddy energy of a school boy, although his outward demeanor was quiet and serious, like someone somberly accepting a gift. Inside the wrapped cloth were weapons and a very tough leather armor, which the boy donned. He strapped it with such seriousness that the drake almost forgot the awkward, not quite frightening teenager.

"The leather is light, but strong. You won't lose your agility in the air because of it. We've given you a spear, and a few long-ranged weapons. You should do better out there."

"Thank you, Ther." Jek said, feeling the worn leather.

"Your father… always wanted you to become a warrior."

Draetur watched the two interact quietly, doing his best not to pull away too quickly to the battle above. His people were holding their own, and all he could do was trust them. But he noticed Jek hold the dragon talon necklace as Ther spoke of Jek's father. Was one of the men in the previous hunting party Jek's father? Was Jek's earlier anger toward his villagers for forgetting his father too soon? While the drake pondered these questions, he almost didn't notice the woman bringing another package.

"These are for you." She said, catching Draetur's attention. "We don't usually charge in with beasts of war, but when we do, we're well prepared with armor. We found some that would fit you."

She lifted a head piece out of the bag, and the drake sniffed it cautiously from a distance.

"He's not a pet, Darley." Jek said softly, both defending Draetur and being kind to the girl. This was probably the proudest moment in which Draetur would remember the young boy, since he was never known for being good with words.

However, something in Jek's voice seemed to catch the female's attention, and a spark lit in her eyes. Draetur understood none of it, but now he saw that she was not intent upon forcing the armor on him, as if he were some infernal beast of burden. Knowing now that it was his choice to fight with the help of the humans, the drake slowly extended his neck so that his nose eventually touched the piece of metal. The gesture was taken with full enthusiasm, and the rest of the group set to gearing Draetur up as fast as they could, so that the drake could raise Jek into battle again.

The head piece connected with a set plates that were connected as best as the humans could, so that they covered his neck and chest, protecting some of his more vulnerable areas. A light saddle was also added to the attire, as well as a nifty sort of mace attachment that strapped onto his tail. There was even a strange blade he could hang onto with each wing thumb. While Draetur was shifting in his gear- and upsetting those who were strapping it on as quickly as they could- there was a sudden loud cry. All heads turned to the battle above, and Draetur was pained to see that his presence was badly needed.

However, all heads turned further from the battle as a line of dragons swooped toward the battle. Draetur felt his heart drop as he turned his entire body to face the horror that had just dawned upon him. Another hellkite, one that Jek had rid of a single eye before being bucked off, was leading the fresh charge. There was a bright flash of fire, so bright as to contest with the light of a thousand suns, and then there was screaming.

It took Draetur a couple of moments to realize the scream was his own, and his entire body tensed up to take flight. Surprisingly, weight suddenly pulled him down to earth, and the drake quickly realized that the human hunting party were all ganging up on him, forcing him down to earth. This didn't stop the drake from struggling, and he did everything in his power, even lashing his new weapons, to free himself.

"Let me up!" He roared quickly, almost jumbling the words.

"You're not finished yet." Ther shouted over him, putting pressure on the drake's neck. It was startling, the difference between Jek and the rest of his brethren. Jek could sit comfortably on Draetur's neck, but Ther could snap it with his big arms if he wanted to.

"To hell with the armor!" The young drake screamed, deep blue eyes, pained and screaming for redemption, fixed upon the largest hellkite's form.

"If you just charge out there now, you're going to die!" the girl pleaded, but she had no hold over Draetur.

With a final surge of strength, Draetur pulled his head up from Ther's grip, snapping the leather strap at his chin and causing the headpiece to fall. Wings threw off everyone, and he slammed his head into the big man's chest to force him away. Swinging his spiked tail to ward off any more attempts to bind him, the drake wasted no time in launching off, but not before a weight dashed onto his back.

Jek's presence was just a footnote in Draetur's mind. There was no holding back the blind fury that had consumed him. He couldn't help but remember everything, from his youngest memories to his most startling discoveries. Every face of his family came before him, whether he knew them well or not. That was probably the last of the entire race of drakes in this place, and Belnair just wiped it all out! He even seemed to think the battle was over, as his roar signaled the dragons under his control to continue on home, to abandon this charred carcass of a mountain.

With each wing beat, Draetur continued up, up, up. He went so far that he passed the level Belnair was flying at, angling himself once he had reached a proper height. Jek hopped up so his feet were on the saddle and the hand that wasn't preoccupied with a spear was holding onto a leather strap. As they dove, both let out a battlecry, and Belnair looked up just in time to have their full momentum slam into his muzzle.

Belnair cried out in surprise, and Draetur was sure he heard a loud crack from a fractured bone. The drake and his rider gave out another yell, and then swooped around to meet Belnair in battle. Draetur couldn't feel his legs, but he didn't need them for flight. Jek seemed to have lost his spear already, and was switching to a bow. Draetur heard him put every ounce of strength into pulling the string back after he sat down, and did his best to give Jek every opportunity to hit Belnair. Upon trying to blindside Belnair, Draetur spotted Jek's spear, lodged in a soft piece of skin right next to the eye. The boy had just missed his mark.

Heckling the hellkite seemed to work, because he arched his neck back eventually, the telltale sucking on air signaling firebreathing. Jek grabbed something Draetur had seen in action before, and threw the spidersilk net at Belnair's muzzle just before he could open up properly. The result was a sort of explosion effect inside Belnair, who began to smoke from the mouth and nostrils. Infuriated that he had been made to look like a fool, the dragon tore off the net with his claws and began to actually pursue his quarry, stretching out his neck to surprising lengths and almost grasping Draetur in his jaws more than once.

"Is this all you can come up with, drakeling?" the hellkite taunted. "Your entire family destroyed, and yet all you can muster is a few scratches. Not only that, but you've stooped so low as to accept aid from a human!"

"I'll show you." Jek muttered, and his weight shifted on Draetur's back.

The message was clear to Draetur, and he built up speed, angling at Belnair's head. The dragon moved so that no such trick could be pulled on him, but Draetur instead took the opportunity to try and swing his tail mace into the dragon's eye. He missed, but it was a good enough distraction. Jek jumped between the gigantic hellkite's shoulders without being noticed, and made his way carefully onto the oblivious dragon's head.

From a distance, Draetur noticed Jek much more. Though Draetur was blinded and driven by his fury, the expression on Jek's face was one that matched what the drake felt. Perhaps the two shared a mission, not only for themselves, but for each other. Suddenly, the drake felt a duty to the young human, and swore quietly to do all he could to get them both out alive.

Stepping upon the eye ridge of the hellkite, Jek came into view just as he was raising his dagger to strike down upon the red eyes. But it was a moment too much, and a sudden change in footing caused Jek to begin plummeting to earth. Draetur dove immediately, avoiding Belnair's snap at his tail, and quickly caught up to the boy who was sheathing his knife and reaching for another long-range weapon. There was a grim determination upon his features, and as the two closed distance, Draetur realized that Jek had finally grown into a warrior; he had finally found the inner fire that allowed you to survive on this dismal existence.

Jek was now preparing to remount, waiting for Draetur to swoop beneath him so that he could land conveniently between the drake's shoulder blades. But then, something both entirely unexpected and unsurprising happened. A dragon, lingering from the giant battle, came between the drake and his human. The drake saw it coming, and he stretched out his neck as if to grab the boy before it could happen, but no amount of desperation could stop Jek from becoming dragon food.

Muscles tensed and his wings tilted automatically, the part of him that was still primal and grew up on Jund aware that there was nothing else he could accomplish like this. There was no saving Jek. But his mind, the part of him that discovered emotion and thought, was stunned. Jek was gone. How could he be gone? They were both going to come out of this alive, a pair of the strongest warriors known to Jund, thanks to innovative teamwork. Yet, here was Draetur, suddenly alone.

Then the rage came. Family, friends, his home- everything the young drake had ever known was gone. Belnair was the sole reason for their immediate absence, and he was the only one the drake's mind would turn to. With a scream of fury, Draetur rose into the air again. His body burned as he swept around his enemy, attacking at every chance he got. But it was not to be, and a giant set of claws came at the drake and slammed him into the charred wall of his mountain. Sliding down, the drake found a grateful ledge.

"Exciting, isn't it? When you get your spark, suddenly everything is clear to you. It turned you into an intelligent youngster, and me into the strongest hellkite here." Belnair said, hovering down to the drake's level. "But you've become far too much of a nuisance, and I don't like your kind. You're disgusting."

Draetur, despite the fog that seemed to have overtaken his pained and sore body, understood that his end was nigh if he didn't move. He stumbled to his legs, using his wings to help prop himself up. There was the sound of a dragon preparing to breathe fire, and it was all Draetur could do to launch off from the cliff side.

It was as if in slow motion. A blaze erupted from behind him, quickly warming up the metal end on his tail, and he maneuvered away from it, slowly, slowly, though he was sure he was putting everything he had into it. But it was no good. The fire caught up to him, and in a bright flash of pain, Draetur dropped from the sky, to land in the charcoal below.

It was rancid, whatever that smell was. He recognized it as cooked flesh, but what could smell this bad?

Draetur ventured to open his eyes, but found only one would react properly. The left side of his face and neck stung and hurt, and the drake was almost certain he had been burned. Looking above, there was nothing, not even a cloud. However, on the ground, it was like hell on earth.

Dead bodies were strewn everywhere. Drakes, dragons- he even saw a couple of lizards, goblins, and humans. Everything was burnt, charred, and dead, giving off the acrid scent he had noticed earlier. And now the scavengers had arrived, sensing the opportunity for meat.

Draetur hissed at a couple of lizard men, making them scatter quickly, and stumbled to his feet. Doing his best not to jostle the burns, the drake walked to the edge of the decimated clearing, eventually arriving at the edge of a forest- or, what remained of this part of it. The dull clink of metal against his claws brought his attention to his stumbling feet, and the drake moved his right leg to see the glint beneath. Digging in the soot, he pulled out the face plate that had ripped off when he tried to free himself.

"Oh, Jek." He mumbled, everything still in his memory, and with sharp clarity.

There was no helping the frustrated roar that he let out afterwards, but it ended in a piteous whine as the burns caused him sharp pain. What would he do now? What could he do now?

The winds were as fair today as Draetur had ever felt. It was strange being here, in a place that was so calm. In Jund, everything was out to get you, and even the humans were without any kind of vast intelligence. But here, on this different plane, things were different.

Nothing happened after the massacre. The drake, still young, flew about Jund, shouting out challenges that brought him conflict with any hungry beast that was around. Still, Belnair never appeared, and so Draetur, remembering a vague sense of smallness when he gained his new intelligence, theorized that Belnair was no longer on Jund. It was like a leap of faith, causing him to go through a space of unrivaled energy and eventually dropping him off in a world of nightmares. But in the drake's second attempt to leave the plane he was at, he ended up here.

He never met Jek's family again, either. In fact, the humans seemed to have become more reclusive. Then again, Draetur began growing quickly right after his biggest battle experience, and he wasn't able to sneak around the jungles as much as he had before. Now, about as big as he would ever get but still with the young, tan scales on his stomach, the drake had aged to about 40 human years and grown to 20 feet.

Now, Draetur tended not to look back. There was no gain in it. It was best if he looked ahead, chasing after Belnair, who had left a trail of fire behind him in every plane he had ever travelled to. The drake had found that Belnair was gathering followers who believed in red mana, and his legion was slowly growing. Draetur was close now. He could feel it.

The land gave him no hints by the end of the day, so Draetur glided to the ground, eventually settling in an area that had little tree cover. Just as he was ready to settle down here, a scent caught his attention, and the drake was off again, heading for the mountain nearby. A quick fly around, and the drake discovered an abandoned nest on a vast ledge. He landed there and gazed unkindly at the dragon whelp laying there, grunting pathetically in its sleep.

A well of hate began to bubble up, and the more Draetur looked at the whelp, the more he wanted to hurt it. Reasoning that taking care of it now would spare many people the grief of dealing with it later, the drake hissed as he slowly arched his neck up. Lips pulled back to reveal his fangs, he was about to strike when another presence was made known.

"You would kill it, even at this age?" a man said. He walked forward on a thin ledge, completely comfortable, despite the sharp drop off next to him.

Draetur examined the human figure, his neck still arched back after preparing to strike. The man stood straight-backed, his steps showing an ease and potential agility. A beard and moustache covered most of his face, and brown eyes watched the drake quietly.

"I'd rather kill it now than fight with an angry beast later." Draetur growled.

"Does that make you any better than him?" the man asked, still quietly watching. It was slightly unnerving.

Draetur narrowed his eyes and raised his wings slightly, immediately suspicious of the human.

"Better than who?"

"Belnair. You leave a trail as wide as him while you're looking for him. Not exactly subtle, are you?"

"There's no point in allowing a monster to grow."

"And what of your children, who may not be born with a spark to allow them to speak and reason? That is the monstrous qualities you foresee for this whelp, isn't it?"

"Drakes are not dragons." Draetur hissed, a deadly tone to his voice.

"True. But they are alike."

Now the drake turned his full attention to the human. Keeping his wings open for balance, his long neck stretched to the human so that his snout was scarcely a foot from him. Blue eyes narrowed, and a very low growl was barely audible.

"What are you implying?"

"I'm not implying. I'm stating a fact."

The young dragon had stirred, and now blinked quietly at those who were around it, uncertain how to react. The human sighed and looked out at the landscape that unfolded from the bottom of the mountain. His face seemed to become much more tired.

"I defend a whelp because I have one. Not a dragon, of course. But, perhaps once you've had your own, you'll understand what I'm talking about."

The dragon decided its best course of action was to call out for help, which it proceeded to do with annoying clarity. Draetur turned to the dragon whelp, annoyed, but also wary of its adult protection. No, Draetur felt he could take on a normal dragon. It was the human's words that bugged him.

Finally, Draetur snorted his irritation. He tilted off the edge of the mountain, reeling until his wings caught the wind and stabilized him. The drake almost immediately felt a new weight on his back, and he looked to see the human crouched between his shoulder blades.

"What are you doing?" Draetur demanded among the high winds.

"Well, you couldn't expect me to stay there when Mommy was coming." The man said reasonably.

"Get off!"

Ah, young rage. It caused Draetur to fold his wings as tightly as he could, plummeting while spinning. Still, the weight did not come off until just before the treetops, when Draetur opened his wings suddenly to fly above them. Just when the drake thought he had finally gained his moments alone, he saw the human again. Only this time, the human was running on top of the thinnest branches as if he weighed not a pound.

"Sorry, but now I'd really like to ask you something. How would you like help with Belnair?"

"I don't need help!" Draetur shouted rebelliously.

What was with this man? Draetur sharply tilted to change his course. The forest ended quicker than he thought, though, and suddenly there was a vast camp full of bustling people, fireplaces, and tents. Draetur was flying so low that they all went into a panic, and a net came flying at him from nowhere. Its sturdy threads caught the drake's wing, and he fell harshly to the ground.

Many people swarmed around him, some keeping their distance and others making it their duty to personally keep him down. Damn, Draetur thought he had been rid of this sort of problem! Not that he had an issue with fighting back. He was about ready to do so when the human male from not too long ago broke through the crowd, repeating 'friend' to all the different races of humanoids that Draetur saw. The man eventually made it to Draetur and attempted to take off the bindings, but Draetur growled at him.

"I can't get these off unless you give me permission." The man protested. He waited, but Draetur did not growl again, so he took that as a go-ahead.

Once Draetur was free to move, he shook himself and flicked his tail unhappily, hissing at someone else who tried to approach him. While people tried to continue on to whatever they were doing before, the drake looked around warily. He had never seen so many different breeds in one place. There were elves, humans, even short people. The drake even spotted a humanoid form that looked more like a torch.

"What is this?"

"This is a fighting force against Belnair." The man answered calmly. "Everybody here has a reason to fight."

Quietly, the drake looked over the people once more. Everyone in this bustling group had a reason to dislike Belnair? They would all take up arms against that raging dragon?

"Drake. I wanted to ask you to fight with us."

There was a moment of silence. Then:

"Perhaps. I may fight with you. For a time."

**Cards Drawn: Mountain (Nils Hamm), Hellkite Charger, Spidersilk Net, Inner Fire, Disfigure, Dragon Whelp**

**Shieb: Wow, ok. It's been a month since I last updated this thing. I admit it could have been done a while ago, but my attention has been elsewhere. Anyways, here's the end of the short story. I enjoy most of it, but the ending makes me nervous. It'll probably seem rushed to you all.**

**Anywho, R&R if you please. Tell me if you enjoyed it or not and then tell me why. It shouldn't be too difficult, right? ;)  
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